Nostalgia OFP501 Movietime Popcorn Popper

Reviews of Nostalgia OFP501 Movietime Popcorn Popper

1.) Gave to Hubby & Got His Thumbs Up
Reviewed by: carol irvin United States
Rating:
Hubby is the popcorn freak in this family and he really liked this as a present. We are both film freaks so the design was perfect. Best of all, no grease is used in making the popcorn so it takes the health problems of eating it down. I notice some reviewers here report they had problems with popcorn behaving weirdly yet other reviewers had no such problems. We had no problems with it and I have no weird behavior to report, no popcorn flying all over the kitchen while popping. I wonder if perhaps there was a bad "run" of this product, where some people got ones which were flawed while others got machines made on a different day which are fine. It happens with car manufacturing so why not with popcorn poppers? I would probably email the manufacturer to ascertain if it has sorted out this problem and if the flawed machines are all now off the market before buying it. I was unaware of the problem so just was lucky on the particular machine I bought.

2.) Yummy hot air popped popcorn!
Reviewed by: Bookavore USA
Rating:
I'm a popcorn lover so this popper is perfect! I begged for a month to get it for my birthday. Sure there are unpopped kernals (no machine is perfect) and it can shoot popcorn across the room (the dog doesnt mind and if you use a big bowl you eliminate that problem), but I love it! Its way better than nasty microwave corn.


3.) Bought as gift
Reviewed by: J. L. Bonenfant south florida, usa
Rating:
The person I bought it for loves it. I was concerned about some reviews I read about it spitting out kernals. but did not happen. works well, and looks great.

4.) Yummy popcorn popper
Reviewed by: Snack lover Los Angeles, CA
Rating:
We love this popcorn popper! The kernels pop up soft and fluffy and really tasty especially with good popcorn. We don't always add butter since it's tasty without butter, but with butter - YUMMY. I just wish there was a stand available for the popper.

5.) Great fun!
Reviewed by: N&N's Mom Midwest
Rating:
My 6 year old asked for this for Christmas. It has been a blast. It is a quick and easy after school snack. The popcorn pops quickly. The children enjoy watching it pop and shoot out into the bowl. Great fun!

6.) Quick & Fun popper!
Reviewed by: health enthusiast CO
Rating:
This popper was so easy and I love the look of it in my home! It popped up quick and easy, no problems. I am so glad I didn't read the other reviewers before purchasing, otherwise I would have missed a great experience. Looking forward to more good eats.

7.) Mom loved it!
Reviewed by: Prrpl Rayne Somewhere, TX
Rating:
My mom likes garage sale type stuff and absolutely loved this. Make of that what you will.

8.) Great Reasonably Priced Popper
Reviewed by: M. Williams San Diego, CA United States
Rating:
This popper is a great little machine. It is easy to operate and my 14 year old loves to use it for family night.

9.) Great Little Popper
Reviewed by: Pepaw Hampton, VA United States
Rating:
My wife and I bought this Popcorn Popper about 2 weeks ago. It works great. There have been no problems with it what so ever. It does a GREAT job of popping. As with ANY Popcorn Popper and all of the corn popped but it did better the others, I would say that it poppes about 99% of the popcorn put in. As for shooting it around the room I can say that the one we have does not do that. It's a GREAT LITTLE POPPER and worth the price and It looks nice sitting on the counter. We give it 5 STARS and 2 THUMBS UP.

10.) Darling design and functions too!
Reviewed by:
Rating:
This is so cute! It looks just like the big ones at a fraction of the cost. When i gave several as gifts to family and friends, i never saw so many appreciative thanks for the gift. The unit is a hot air popper so to liven the kernels up, i sprayed a little olive oil on the corn and sprinkled with seasonings. thank you target- this made a great gift.

11.) Enjoying our popcorn popper
Reviewed by: K. Lamb Vermont
Rating:
My 9 year old purchased this product for my husband for Christmas (he has a new "Man's Cave" room in our house with a kitchenette). We have enjoyed several board game and football game nights with it so far. It works wonderfully!

12.) Its movie time. This or microwave popcorn? which is healthyer?
Reviewed by: PlanetDrew80 Canal Fulton OH
Rating:
Well the holiday season has just arive and so has the shopping. My parents got this for me for christmas about 2 years ago, and enjoyed it, been using it over 15 times. Its even great for movie night. Theres another reason why I wanted this for christmas. Because for 15 years I have been eating microwave popcorn, and been getting tired of microwave popcorn. So here why this air popped popcorn taste better then Microwave popcorn.

Air pop popcorn VS Microwave popcorn

THE FACTS

Nostalgia air popcorn
Their machine pop popcorn

Microve popcorn
It requires a flat bag full of corn

Nostalgia air popcorn
Reqires no oil

Microwave Popcorn
The corn is dipped in fatting oil and covered

Nostalgia air popcorn
Once the corn is popped, It come out all white and fluffy

Microwave Popcorn
Once the popcorn is popped, It come out all burnt and smelly.

So which are you going to choose?

13.) Looks Nice...Lots of Un-Popped Kernels....
Reviewed by: David Silipigni Saugus, MA United States
Rating:
I fell in love with this unit when it first arrivied. I already had a Hot Air Popper in my home but thought I should replace it with this one. The unit really looks cool in your Kitchen or Home Theater Room. The only problem is the unit misses alot of kernels.

14.) Great Product, But A Few Lows.
Reviewed by: Johnny Bravo
Rating:
I love this product. It made excellent popcorn. It does not take up much space, and is a very, eye-catching piece for your home. It is not really unpracticle. Its just like a normal Hot Air popper, it just looks alot cooler than the other machines you see. There were a few lows with this product. There was a good number of kernals left over. The other major thing was, the 15 minute wait between popping. I would have taken more time on making this product, and somehow shorten that waiting period. The reason it is really not convenient is because the amount of kernals you are supposed to put in is only good for 1 person. So if you're making popcorn for more than one person, you can either wait 15 minutes between each popping, or use microwavable popcorn. Otherwise, this product is great, and I very much like it!!! I gave it 4/5 up there, but i would really rate it 3.5/5!!!

15.) popcorn maker
Reviewed by: beth revello little neck, ny United States
Rating:
This item is wonderful though a bit too small. It makes good popcorn and is very easy to use. It is worth the price and a good buy.

16.) On year heavy use and I like this popper a lot
Reviewed by: joannendenver Colorado
Rating:
Pretty much every Friday night 2 - 3 batches for a year now. No complaints. Just a standard glass mixing bowl use to catch the pop corn.

17.) Great hot air popper
Reviewed by: Ann D. Vescio
Rating:

I think this is a great popper. It makes fluffy popcorn in minutes. It is also cute and looks great on the counter. It also doesn't send kernels flying everywhere like in most reviews. I put butter and salt on top and it tastes good. This is a good popper.

18.) Just what I thought it would be!
Reviewed by: Joshlin Louisiana, USA
Rating:
My 3 year old wanted a popcorn machine for Christmas. He loves the old fashion look of the big expensive ones he has seen in department stores. Being he is only 3, I figured that this one was just the right size to fit on my counter top. I also liked that it is an air popper. He LOVES it!!! It pops just enough for him with a little left for me and Hubby to snack on. It doesn't pop all the seeds, but I had read other reviews about it and knew it would do this. Not a big deal. It pops most of them. Only about a quarter of them don't pop. They do fall out though. I just put a really big bowl under it to catch the popcorn and seeds that are pushed out.

I couldn't be happier. I don't recommend this for someone who wants a lot of popcorn at one time though. It pops less than a bag of microwave popcorn and has to cool before you can pop more. It works for us. We wanted it for the look and the price. It is easy to clean and store. The top comes completely off for storage.

19.) Popping Away!
Reviewed by: Carol Alderson, WV
Rating:
This item does a good job and entertains the children as well. My granddaughter loves it.

20.) Satisfied
Reviewed by: Anna Vardanyan
Rating:
Everything is great about this item: the only thing is that some of the corn doesn't get popped, it comes out unpopped together with the popped ones.

21.) Cute and works
Reviewed by: S. Lancaster Grand Rapids, MI
Rating:
The popper looks good and works well. My only complaint is that there isn't a handle to turn to make the popcorn pop. You just flip a switch. I wanted more of an old school popper. But that's not a big deal. It works perfectly and is ridiculously easy to clean.

22.) well worth the money
Reviewed by: Melissa Curry East Orange, NJ United States
Rating:
I just got this and have already made two batches of popcorn. When I use it it doesn't behave as if it is possesed; there where some unpoped kernels, but not enough that it was a problem to me, and there were not kernels flying all over my kitchen. My grandmother likes this popcorn, she says it is soft and tender, and there are no hard kernels in the middle like in some popcorn. In conclusion, I really like this machine and I think it is well worth the [money] it costs.

23.) It worked great for me!
Reviewed by: chipeta3 MT
Rating:
I read all the reviews on here for this popcorn machine. But I decide to get it anyway. It work great for us! We didn't have any unpopped seeds shooting at us. LOL There wasn't that many unpopped seeds either.

24.) Decent...
Reviewed by: mom2two
Rating:
I was put off by the 15 minute wait between pops, but was happy with it till the 5th use and the popcorn burnt inside it and smoked up my house. Going to TRY to return or exchange it...we'll see. Best of luck if you're interested in this machine.

25.) eh
Reviewed by: no, i'm not related to THAT paula deen denver, co United States
Rating:
I got this as a house warming gift and was super excited because of its cuteness. I had the same problems of half the kernels not popping, flying across the room, etc. After about the 5th time I used it, something inside broke and I wound up taking it back. Being that it was a gift and I still think it's really cute, I just exchanged it for a new one. The new one doesn't have the unpopped kernel issue the first one had so I'm guessing that's something that varies between individual machines, though it does still shoot popped kernels across the kitchen. (I aim it towards the wall so it can't go as far...) It's an adorable gift, but if I was going to buy my own air popper, I'd get something cheaper and simpler.

Update: after a little over a year, I gave up and replaced this with a generic popper that works way better.

26.) Looks cute but a little slow
Reviewed by: J. Bat
Rating:
The popcorn popper looks very cute and the popcorn pops well. It is a little slow(I may be too used to microwave popcorn). You have to wait a good 15 minutes before you pop your next batch. But it is worth the money

27.) Popcorn Popper
Reviewed by: Judy Phillips
Rating:
After reading many reviews I knew what to expect with this product. My 11 year old wanted it for christmas. The popper is cute and it does pop corn (a small amount at a time) and yes it does shoot out unpopped kernals at you.... The popcorn does not taste good but that is because it is a air popper. If you want one that works really well you are going to have to spend more money. This one works just OK.

28.) Yes, all the bad review are true. But I still like it.
Reviewed by: Jennifer Sopchockchai Dover, MA United States
Rating:
As soon as I opened this as a present I had rock bottom expectations.

First the good: It pops popcorn pretty quickly. The heater and blower actually seem pretty powerful.

The amusing: this thing will send popcorn everywhere. I was laughing through the whole first use. Un-popped colonels fly everywhere, sometimes popping after they spew out, sometimes flying in the air and hitting you in the face when they do. Sometimes un-popped colonels go into the bowl, then pop and send popcorn and red hot colonels exploding out of the bowl!

Highly amusing but incredibly poor design. However with a simple paper towel draped over the bowl properly its completely usable.

29.) Seems to work fine, but over priced.
Reviewed by:
Rating:
Just gave one to my friend as a b-day gift, and we recently broke it in. As of this post we've only used it once and it seems to work fine. Yes it did leave several unpopped kernals - about as many as those microwave baggies leave unpopped but the overall popcorn outcome was quite a bit, enough to fill 2 large bowls. Didn't have any problems with flying kernals but do have a bowl ready to start collecting, popcorn is ready fast.

I've never used or seen an air-popping popcorn maker before so I was not aware of the noise, it's a little loud but not too bad - about as loud as a hair dryer on it's highest setting. Not too bad considering it only takes about 3 minutes to finish popping, so it's not loud for long.

After reading the rest of the posts I was a little worried I'd be disappointed but I'm quite satisfied.

30.) ok
Reviewed by: Betty R. Pearson Pavone
Rating:
It was ok, for the money, it makes a little popcorn at a time and you can't add sault or butter to the machine. It is just hard to give your popcorn flavor after it has been poped. Like at the movies.

31.) Too many unpopped kernels!
Reviewed by: Linda Bigelow Grand Rapids, MI USA
Rating:
I read the reviews here before I bought this and decided to take a chance. That was a mistake! I will be returning this to get my money back and buy a popper that actually works. Now I understand what people were saying about popcorn flying all over the room! Only about 1/3 of the kernels actually popped in the machine - the rest flew out unpopped. Some of them actually popped while they were in the bowl or on the counter - quite a sight! I don't know why this problem only affects some of the machines but if you have your heart set on buying this, be sure to keep the box it comes in. You might need it to take it back.

32.) Beautifully Nostalgic, Worthless Performance!
Reviewed by: Purplandgold Stillwater, MN
Rating:
All you need to do is read the title to this post and you should get the gist of how I feel. I think tht it is a wonderful looking machine that brings back alot of memories. However, the good parts stop right there. This machine is not only lacking in performance, but it is flat out a hazard. DO NOT use this machine around young children as the HOT, UNPOPPED kernals that fly out of the machine like shrapnel can (DO) burn little hands. The engineer that came up with the shape design of this item should be on a job hunt!

33.) Cute but avoid this stinker
Reviewed by: A sanguine hedonist Bothell, WA United States
Rating:
My gf loves popcorn so I was tasked to purchase her a replacement for her cheapo $10 air popper. I saw this one and thought "what a great idea" and bought it on the spot. I hadn't read the reviews here when I did my heart sank. Although some people "did" rate it high and said it was great. Sadly these may be closer to paid reviews because the consensus here seems to be true. Slow popping with small kernals. It makes a mess as well with kernels everywhere. If you like running through a batch of pops then do not look at this model. It's simply too slow and requires a "breather". It was returned yesterday.

34.) Looks cute, poorly engineered.
Reviewed by: D. Horn
Rating:
Out of the approximately 1/2c of popcorn called for, 1/3c were unpopped and 1/2 of those were all over the floor. Waste of money unless you just want it for decoration.

35.) Very good popcorn, lots of wasted kernels
Reviewed by: Anaugi2 Philadelphia, PA USA
Rating:
I got this as a gift. I'm something of a popcorn addict and I didn't have an air popper, so I was very excited about it. However, I've experienced the same problems as many other reviewers, with lots of unpopped kernels flying out of the machine and only a small portion actually popping.

I've discovered that doing what the instructions say not to do (overfilling the measuring cup a little bit) helps somewhat. I also rig a cloth napkin or dishtowel around the spout and over the top of the bowl to limit the mess. Usually about half the kernels fly out before they've popped, and a few will pop once they're in the bowl, causing any popcorn around it to fly, so it does make quite a mess without the napkin helping keep things in. One batch ends up being about half, maybe 2/3 of what you'd get from a bag of microwave popcorn. I'll buy kernels in bulk whenever possible, to get a better price since so much doesn't pop in a single batch and it's not really good after trying to pop any more than 3 times.

On the plus side, it's much faster than other air poppers I've had and doesn't need any time to warm up. The popcorn seems to stay hotter longer. And even though there's quite a bit of unpopped corn, it all winds up in the bowl instead of the bottom of the popper. I usually transfer the popped corn into a smaller bowl to save the unpopped corn for a second or third try. It is on the larger side, but I've found the shape makes it easier to store than many others. And it is really cute.

36.) Wish we could get it to work correctly
Reviewed by: Kelly Bauer
Rating:
We purchased this popper for my son for Christmas. The size is great, the delivery was great, my son loved it and understands how to use it, we just can't get it to work correctly. It blows hot air and that's about it. At first, we thought it might be the type of popcorn we used but after trying several kinds, it just doesn't work. Would love to know if we are doing something incorrectly because we'd love to use it all the time.

37.) A case study in poor design
Reviewed by: Onceler Apex, NC United States
Rating:
The makers of this popcorn maker should be banned from creating any additional products. It is apparent that they did not give much thought to the design other than trying to make it look like an old fashioned popcorn cart. The first problem that I encountered was the fact that the wheels of the cart were put on the wrong side. They are located on the same side that the popcorn comes out. Because of this, you cannot put a container underneath to catch the popcorn unless it is small enough to fit between the wheels. But a container that is small enough to fit between the wheels won't be large enough to catch all of the popcorn. As a result, a large amount of popcorn ends up on the countertop and on the floor. It's astonishing that anyone would sell a product which such an obvious design flaw.

The next, and most annoying, problem is the one that another reviewer mentioned. When it is popping the corn, most of the kernels are thrown out before they pop. Some end up in the container and some end up on the floor. Making popcorn is a multiple step process. First, I will pop a batch. Then I separate the popped kernels from the unpopped ones. I then put the unpopped kernels back into the popcorn maker and try to pop them again. I usually have to repeat this 5 or 6 times before most of the kernels are popped.

This popcorn maker may look like it's fun to use, but don't fall for it. It is by far the worst popcorn maker that I have ever used. Don't even think about wasting money on it.

38.) Wasteful Treasures
Reviewed by: Ros101 Tampa, Florida
Rating:
On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, this item deserves a -10. Yes, it's that bad. I bought this item for my sister for Christmas as a way to steer my nieces from that buttery microwaveable mess they get in the box to a more healthier regimen. The only healthy thing about this popcorn maker was the fact that you could eat the kernels raw because they didn't pop! I poured in the amount as I was instructed and as my nieces and I waited excitedly to hear the poping sound, nothing happend. The machine started fine and the kernels were turning, then one kernel popped. After that one popcorn, the machine stopped. After 20 minutes it turned itself on again and popped another. After another 20 minutes the fan turned on again and the rest of the kernels burned (without popping). Needless to say, this burncorn maker was definetly a waste of time and effort. I would have more success popping the kernels outside in the sun during Boston's winter season.

39.) Bulky, inefficient mess-maker
Reviewed by: Jack Richman New York, NY USA
Rating:
The Movietime Popcorn Maker is larger than need be, making storage a problem for those with limited space. This is a particular problem with this item because after a few uses, it's probably going to stay in storage until your next yard sale. Whatever the freshness or brand of popcorn you use, it has a high rate of unpopped kernels. The design of the unit makes it impossible to catch many the popped and unpopped kernels that spew forth -- some as far as 5 feet from the machine. The height of the ejection shoot prevents the placement of a bowl deep enough to contain the popcorn without flying about and the ersatz wheels prevent all but the tiniest bowls from getting close enough to the unit. If you get the popper, save the many unpopped kernels. Odds are there's nothing wrong with them and many will pop on subsequent attempts.

40.) Movie Time Popcorn Maker
Reviewed by: RBC525
Rating:
This is by far one of the worst products I ever purchased. Only about one-quarter of the kernels pop and when they do pop its usually as they are leaving the maker and end up all over the floor. You have to use two bowls - one to catch all the unpopped kernels and a much smaller bowl to catch the popcorn.

41.) Hot unpopped corn flies everywhere! It is dangerous!
Reviewed by: Gavin S. Pope Cedar Creek, Michigan (the GREAT State of)
Rating:
This is a really neat looking popper and when I got it out of the box I was very excited with the thought of all that wonderful popcorn. What a MAJOR disappointment. First of all, after carefully following the instructions, this popper began shooting out VERY HOT unpopped kernels. It did not matter how large a bowl I used or at what angle the bowl was placed (the cute wheels get in the way), unpopped, and later in the cycle, popped corn shot out all over the place. The unpopped corn shot out with such velocity that they bounced off of the bowl and into my face, on the floor, on the counter, everywhere!!! I used this popper 5 times and in every case less that half of the kernels were popped (most exited at high velocity and with a few popping outside of the machine!). Some of the hot kernels landed on the floor and damaged my floor covering leaving burnt marks! I returned the popper for a refund.

I recommend that you not waste your time or money on this popper...

42.) What a JOKE!
Reviewed by: J. Campbell Orange Co., CA USA
Rating:
This popcorn popper looks neat and thats it. Don't waste your money unless you want it for decoration. It makes a mess with the popcorn blowing out. It leaves a lot of seeds in your bowl that gets thrown away, and a small amount of popcorn to eat. Most families would need to make several batches but you have to wait 15 minutes before you can make a new batch. LOOK FOR ANOTHER POPPER!

43.) This Popcorn Popper is Possessed!
Reviewed by: Mr. Bubbles
Rating:
I bought this popcorn popper for my parents as a gift. They hated it and so did everyone else that witnessed it's performance. We all concluded it is possessed. First of all, it left at least half of the popcorn kernels unpopped everytime, which was very disappointing. I know this is not due to the quality of the popcorn because I have successfully popped the same brand of popcorn in my own popper (different brand popper) at home with great results everytime. Second, this popper is not safe. Hot kernels come flying out in all directions and burst outside of the popper becoming a hazard for anyone who is within a few feet of it. Although the design is charming, please do not let it fool you. My parents insisted I return the gift.

44.) CUTE HOT AIR POPPER, BUT I'M RETURNING IT
Reviewed by: kitchenade
Rating:
The inexpensive price and visual appeal of this hot air popper was enough to make me purchase. Wish I read the reviews on this site first. I agree with all those folks who were unhappy with the performance of this appliance, and I am sorry to say that I had similar experiences. Just about as many corn kernels spit out of the machine unpopped as popped, many ending up on the counter or the floor -- and it took a very long time to get really just a handful or two of popcorn. I am returning it for a refund in the morning. Very disappointed in the product. This is certainly one more example of why its important not to judge a book by its cover.

45.) On a scale of 1-5, I give it a -20
Reviewed by: Griz
Rating:
This is the worst popcorn popper I have ever owned! It is slow and doesn't pop well. I thought it may have been the popcorn seeds so I bought some new ones and tried again. Same thing! What a disappointment! 20 minutes of popping to get less than 15 half popped and/or burnt pieces. In the same timeframe I was able to take out my old $10.00 popper (Walmart special)and pop 3 large bowls, melt the butter and disperse to the 15 teengers waiting in movieroom. What a waste of money.

46.) The worst of the worse.
Reviewed by: Bobby D. Boyd Augusta, Georgia United States
Rating:
I was in the market for a hot air popper to cut back on the fat but it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. At last I found the product I've so desperately been looking for. Wrong answer. This is the worse mess I've seen. It only pops about a third of the kernels and shoots popcorn and hot kernels everywhere. Has anyone thought to let the manufacturer in on this worthless product? Obviously it was improperly tested. How about Consumer Reports?

47.) I blame the company
Reviewed by: Cindy NJ
Rating:
I have called 3 times now because we unboxed this "treasure" and thew away the box and set it up for movie night. It has worked 1 time out of 10 so far. When it did work, yes it was as great as all the other reviewers said HORRIBLE! Refunds should be given to everyone who purchased this garbage! I have never received such bad customer service on an item in all my shopping years!!!!

48.) Works great as a popcorn kernal shooter.
Reviewed by: Nortman Michigan
Rating:
Wow! This looked so cool at the store. I wish it worked as well as it looks. If anyone has a solution to keeping nearly half of the unpopped kernals from flying out, let me know. To say popping corn in this is an adventure is an understatement. However, the entertainment value for my two young nieces who love watching popcorn (both popped and unpopped) fly across the kitchen is priceless. Don't buy for looks. Buy one that works.

49.) Barely lasted a month!
Reviewed by: Louisiana Mom Louisiana
Rating:
I purchased a Nostalgia Electrics popcorn maker (Model OFP-501) on April 12, 2008. I was very happy with it for the first 2-3 weeks. I wanted a simple, hot-air popper and that's what this is. Then it began to only pop about 1/3 of the kernels. Yesterday (May 15, 2008), I turned on the popcorn maker. It started up, then started to make horrible noise. I turned it off, unplugged it, and left it for 10 minutes. When I turned it on again, it did nothing. I opened it up, cleaned it, turned it upside down and lightly shook it in case a kernel had gotten down in it, then put it fresh kernels and turned it on. It came on, then began making horrible noise and a flame shot from it. I turned it off and unplugged it.

This popcorn maker has obviously malfunctioned. I'm very upset that it barely lasted a month. I won't be buying this popper again!

50.) This doesn't even deserve a star
Reviewed by: J. Femyer
Rating:
My husband bought me this for Christmas at Bed Bath and Beyond. At first the thing didn't work, then I stored it away for a few months and brought it back out thinking that I'd give it a second shot. Well, it worked good for a few weeks, it was popping most of the kernels and then it just stopped working again and was popping 20 kernels at the most (big waste of money on the machine and the kernels!) and now it just makes a humming noise when I turn it on. This product is definitely a big waste of money, and I agree with some of the others, it seems they only made this thing for looks, no thought went into popping the kernels. I think the buyers should get a refund for this product! So for all you who are thinking about this product, SAVE YOUR MONEY and buy a different brand!

51.) Looks Cute, Works like . . . .
Reviewed by: M. Boehm Sussex, WI United States
Rating:
Like one other reviewer said, this popper doesn't pop all the kernals. I got this popper as a birthday present and ended up returning it. When you fill up the measuring cup for kernals, you have to pop it through about 4 cycles before you get most of them popped. As kernals pop, they shoot lots of unpoppped kernals out into the bowl and you have to keep popping them over and over. Also the spout is very large and even with a huge bowl, some kernals went flying across the counter.
Don't waste your manoey for looks, buy somethign that works well.

52.) Tasty popcorn, horrible design
Reviewed by: keroberts Seattle, WA USA
Rating:
The air-popped popcorn was tasty, but the popper had some definite design flaws. The square chamber traps the popcorn in corners, making it difficult to get out. Mine also died after 2 weeks of occasional use-- it started making horrible noises and then just refused to turn on. Since I had received the item as a gift, I didn't have a receipt, and couldn't get it fixed under warranty. Given this one's design flaws, I'll just be getting a more standard (round) popper in the future.

53.) WEAR FULL BODY ARMOUR AND HIDE THE DOG
Reviewed by: The Witz's Ellicott City, MD
Rating:
To start with my two boys (5 and 3) love this machine for its entertaiment value and are very dissapointed that Mommy and Daddy are returning it after using it one time. Here is what happened. We gave it to our boys as part of a Hanukkah present. They each got new movies for the holiday and were excited to make popcorn with this popper. We set it up, followed the directions and my oldest son turned it on. Nothing happened for about 5 minutes then it started. First hot unpopped kernels came shooting out of the machine bouncing off of walls, the floor and any one standing within 10 feet of the machine. We all backed up and the kids were laughing(but no popcorn yet). Then a few kernels flew out of the machine and exploded in mid-air taking off like a missle. Our Boston Terrier ran for cover. Still no popcorn in the bowl. As the kids were having a great time watching who ever was unlucky to get hit with a hot kernel, the bowl was filling up with hot unpopped kernels that were exploding like hand grenades, leaving the bowl for where ever. By the time World War Three ended the bowl bearly had two cups of popcorn. Our kids did not want to watch their new movies but instead wanted to put more kernels into this grenade launcher and have fun. No Way!!!!!!

54.) poor popping
Reviewed by: Rosemary chicago, illinois
Rating:
takes forever to warm up; pops only half the kernels; popcorn flys all over the place

55.) Totally dysfunctional machine
Reviewed by: V. Coon
Rating:
I only got this thing to pop one full bowl of popcorn. After that, it has only been able to pop a few kernels at a time. .then it shuts off until it cools down. It seems that it is overheating...again and again, and in a matter of a few minutes (easily less than 5). Sadly, because i didnt save either the box or the receipt, i have no recourse other than to warn the world that this is surely not worth anyone's money

I bought this in target. I would never had bought this one if the presto machines had been sold there. this was the only hot air popper they had.

56.) A Horrible Popper
Reviewed by:
Rating:
This popper is horrible. Even though it uses no oil or anything, just hot air, it is big and bulky. It can become a storage problem. Also, once some of the popcorn is popped and hot kernels are in the bowl, they will pop, sending prpcorn everywhere!!! If I could, i would give this produst 0 stars. It is a horrible product that is a waste of money. You should buy a different popper, even if it uses oil. I DO NOT RECCOMEND THIS PRODUCT TO ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

57.) Do Not Buy
Reviewed by: A Real Mom Silver Spring, MD
Rating:
My mother-in-law bought this popper for my two small children for Valentine's Day. What a piece of junk! My kids were so excited about it since popcorn is their favorite snack. Half a jar of Orville Redenbacher's kernels and 30 minutes later, it managed to pop enough to fill 2 sandwich-sized zip-lock bags. I'd also like to warn you that it spits out hot unpopped kernels...my 2 year old picked one up before I could get to it and burned her finger. I wish I could throw this thing away since it takes up so much space to store, but I'm sure my mother-in-law will look for it on her next visit.

58.) Worst Popcorn Popper Ever
Reviewed by: Mike Washington DC
Rating:
I received this popper as a gift, and while it looks nice, it only pops of 30 percent of the kernels the rest just sit in the bottom of the machine. I have tried numerous times letting the device warm up for several minutes and also tried different types of popcorn. Nothing worked. If I had the receipt it would already have been returned. Since I don't, it is going in the garbage. Also for some reasons hot unpopped kernels will fly out of the machine. Stay away from this machine.

59.) Where's the popcorn???
Reviewed by: Kim Massachusetts
Rating:
Looks cute sitting on the counter! Unfortunately, there are more unpopped kernals than there is popcorn. Watch out for flying HOT unpopped kernals. Would not recommend this product unless you are looking for a decorative piece for your collection of junk!

60.) Either unpopped or overcooked kernels.
Reviewed by: klahey Seattle, WA USA
Rating:
I really like air popped corn and have a popper both at work and at home. However, when I bought this popper, I was amazed at how many kernels went unpopped. The corn that was popped was somewhat burned. Both of these happened because of the design or the popper. I also agreed that it rather large to store. I returned the popper after trying it twice because I was so unhappy with how it did its job.

61.) Worst Popper I've Ever Used
Reviewed by:
Rating:
I received this product for Christmas from my daughter. We love to make popcorn with our existing air-popper, so we were excited to try this one. What a joke? 80% of the kernels were unpopped. I tried it several times and finally took it back to Target. Do not buy one till they fix the problems. It just does not work!

62.) I concur, this product is HORRIBLE - DON"T BUY IT
Reviewed by: Todd San Mateo, CA United States
Rating:
This popper has so many problems, it's hard to know where to start. First, the popcorn comes out all over the place, so even with a very large bowl, you end up with a lot of popcorn, both popped and unpopped, on the counter and the floor (the dog gives this popper 5 stars!). The unpopped kernels are hot, too, so don't think about picking them up to put them back through the popper. Also, when kernels pop, they blast the other stuff in the popping chamber out of the machine, so lots of unpopped kernels shoot out into your bowl - I'd guess that usually 1/3 or more of the kernels end up not popped with this machine, which is a waste, and again they're hot, so be careful about grabbing to the bottom of the bowl for several minutes. The popper also only allows one sized batch of corn - the instructions give dire warnings about popping more than the exact amount or less. So you get the amount of popcorn that you get, you have no choice to make more or less. Finally, it's very large and so takes up a lot of room for storage (and you'll be storing it a lot because it's such a pain to use). The only positive is that it's kind of neat looking - my son saw it at Target and fell in love with it, and thinks it's very cool (he shows it to anyone who visits).

63.) A waste of counter space
Reviewed by: HeWhoIs
Rating:
I saw this item at the store and fell in love with it. I immediately put it on a wish list. Last Christmas I got it as a gift,used it twice and was frustrated with the poor popping quality. I originally thought it was old kernels I was popping, so I bought a new package. No, that didn't work. I hopped on Amazon and was glad to see I wasn't the only one having problems with this machine.

This product is terrible, the single good review has GOT to be written by an employee of the company. I have not gotten one decent bowl of popcorn out of it.
Do Not buy this... it's very cheaplymade, and not ANY fun

64.) Too much danger involved to use.
Reviewed by: The Wife
Rating:
We got this popcorn maker for Christmas because we thought our kids would really love it! My son is 3 and my daughter is over 1 year old. They both love popcorn and it is their favorite snack.



My son was so excited that he wanted to pop some on Christmas day. So we read the instructions and got it all set up and ready to go.



We couldn't find a bowl that would fit under it, so that was our first problem. Then we waited and waited (the machine was SO LOUD) and waited. None of the popcorn came up for a good long time and when it did it was almost burnt.



Then there was the problem with the FLYING KERNELS. Since we did not know that kernels would go flying everywhere my son was standing next to it and one almost hit him in the face! When I went to pick it up off the floor it burnt my finger.



We did try it a few more times to make sure we were doing it right, but the kids were not allowed around it. It never did work right and kernels still went flying all over the floor, too hot to pick up. It barely pops any popcorn anyways, it is mostly just hot kernels. It now just sits in my closet getting dust and it is going to be heading into the garbage soon.

65.) A Waste Of Money
Reviewed by: Joan E. Lizon Hartford, CT
Rating:
The first day i got this item i was really excited. When i opened the box it look so cool. i used fresh popcorn and i got about fifteen pieces of popcorn and loads of kernals. All the popcorn got stuck in the chute and the kernals were all burned. Its a total waste of money, so i don't recommend this item.

66.) Barely lasted a month!
Reviewed by: Louisiana Mom Louisiana
Rating:
I purchased a Nostalgia Electrics popcorn maker (Model OFP-501) on April 12, 2008. I was very happy with it for the first 2-3 weeks. I wanted a simple, hot-air popper and that's what this is. Then it began to only pop about 1/3 of the kernels. Yesterday (May 15, 2008), I turned on the popcorn maker. It started up, then started to make horrible noise. I turned it off, unplugged it, and left it for 10 minutes. When I turned it on again, it did nothing. I opened it up, cleaned it, turned it upside down and lightly shook it in case a kernel had gotten down in it, then put it fresh kernels and turned it on. It came on, then began making horrible noise and a flame shot from it. I turned it off and unplugged it.

This popcorn maker has obviously malfunctioned. I'm very upset that it barely lasted a month. I won't be buying this popper again!

67.) Barely lasted a month!
Reviewed by: Louisiana Mom Louisiana
Rating:
I purchased a Nostalgia Electrics popcorn maker (Model OFP-501) on April 12, 2008. I was very happy with it for the first 2-3 weeks. I wanted a simple, hot-air popper and that's what this is. Then it began to only pop about 1/3 of the kernels. Yesterday (May 15, 2008), I turned on the popcorn maker. It started up, then started to make horrible noise. I turned it off, unplugged it, and left it for 10 minutes. When I turned it on again, it did nothing. I opened it up, cleaned it, turned it upside down and lightly shook it in case a kernel had gotten down in it, then put it fresh kernels and turned it on. It came on, then began making horrible noise and a flame shot from it. I turned it off and unplugged it.

This popcorn maker has obviously malfunctioned. I'm very upset that it barely lasted a month. I won't be buying this popper again!

68.) great popcorn maker till it crapped out 3 months after I got it
Reviewed by: John E. Manini Olympia, Wa USA
Rating:
My wife and I bought this popcorn maker back in June 2008 after seeing Chef Michael Symon use one on Iron Chef America and thinking how cute it was. Let me stress that we REALLY WANTED TO LOVE THIS POPCORN MAKER. We love popcorn and an air popper makes it all the more healthy. I read through the other reviews here, laughing at clearly incompetent people who proclaimed it launched kernels at them and burned their precious little snowflakes. The price was right and we ordered one. It was great! A bit shrill and noisy, but a lot faster and better than popcorn on the stove top. We made popcorn 2-3 times a week on average, but never really abused the air popper with angry popcorn junkie rage or anything of the sort. Bottom line was the motor burnt out mid September... 3 months after we received the item. I just got the Amazon run around from one of their very polite outsourced CSRs and they are telling me I have to call the manufacturer to buy a warranty or something. The call kept cutting out which made the CSR difficult to understand, so I hung up. I am not spending my time on a $30.00 piece of plastic. If you are looking to purchase something like this, BUY LOCALLY so you can at least drive to the store and tell the owner off before you go home unsatisfied to a popcornless evening of tears. Alright, I am being melodramatic, but why is it so hard to let me return the broken one and then send me a replacement? Do I actually have to buy another one and then return the bad one for a refund in the box of the one I just bought? Are you going make me resort to that AMAZON?!?!?!

69.) Simple system but unfunctional
Reviewed by: Xochitl Gomez Miami, Fl
Rating:
Its a great design, but it really doesn't work at all. I bought one, and the heat works well but the fan didn't work at all, so the popcorn never popped. I don't recomend it at all.

70.) I returned it because it worked erratically and threw popcorn all over the place
Reviewed by: Chip Willow New York
Rating:
This item threw popcorn all over the place, threw out a large amount of unpopped kernels and although cute, was highly unsatisfactory. I returned it.

71.) Waste of Money
Reviewed by: davidintheusa Los Angeles, CA, USA
Rating:
There is no practical reason for buying this product unless you simply want to display it.

It pops poorly and it does not pop enough for two people. It will pop about 1/4 (one quarter) of the kernals you put in.

Up there with my list of "worst christmas gift ever".

72.) DO NOT BUY THIS - I WISH I COULD GIVE IT A NEGATIVE RATING
Reviewed by: Gern Blanstan Brooklyn, NY United States
Rating:
We bought this ridiculous non poppingcorn popcorn popper because it looked cool and we needed it for a themed party we were throwing. Needless to say I filled it up exactly according to the directions and it went on and then it went off. It was clear that as it got to the heat level that would appropriately pop corn it turns itself off. We wrote to the seller we bought it from and got a refund, now here is the kicker. He knew that there was a problem with this piece of crap and that there had been similar complaints in the past, yet he still sells it. What's more he didn't even want us to send it back. So you know he knows it's junk. So I took it apart and wouldn't you know, as soon as the heating coil get to a certain level of heat, it sparks, shorting out the fan, though the heating element stays hot, which is why the popcorn burns. I can't believe that this thing actually ever passed any kind of UL test or certification. It is a potential fire and electrical shorting hazard.

73.) Less than one star.
Reviewed by: Amateur TV hobbiest Redding, CA USA
Rating:
I mistakenly purchased one of these at a local store before reading the reviews. I agree with everyone else, it throws unpopped kernels around and does a poor job of popping a useable quantity of corn.

74.) Piece of Junk
Reviewed by: Ferg Allen,TX
Rating:
One of the sorriest pieces of junk I've bought in a long time. Never worked right and was dead after less than a half dozen uses. Bought it for wife as Christmas present, Didn't last till Valentines Day. Threw it in trash!

Bought a Presto popper for less than half the price. Not as cute, but it works!!

75.) Horrible
Reviewed by: G. lawniczak
Rating:
After only 3 uses, the heating unit failed. What a piece of crap! Do not waste your money.

76.) Garbage! Do not buy!
Reviewed by: John Buol
Rating:
After unpacking and reading the directions I tried my first batch. I should have had a vacuum cleaner handy for the resultant mess. Among the many crimes committed by this wretched device:

Bulky, over-sized design
Nostalgic wheels prevent bowl from getting underneath chute properly
Only half the kernels managed to pop. The rest would spray out randomly, often missing the bowl.

The company that released this travesty focused so much on the nostalgic appearance that they forgot one thing: Popping popcorn!

I reread the directions and tried popping two more batches, just to be sure. Same pathetic result. Needless to say, I promptly returned this piece of junk.

77.) worst popcorn maker on the planet
Reviewed by: Living under the last rock North of the Warm Zone
Rating:
Horrible popcorn maker and way over priced. I got this as a gift and it blows, and it blows the popcorn everywhere. the kernals pop mid air so stand back. 40% of them were on the floor.

78.) Waste of Time and $
Reviewed by: A. Foster
Rating:
What a horribly designed product! I wish I had looked at the reviews for this product before purchasing it last week. At best, it only popped half of the popcorn kernels. As another reviewer noted, the decorative wheels prevent you from placing a bowl directly under the chute. Both popcorn and unpopped kernels flew all over the kitchen making a horrible mess. I was livid as I have a toddler and the kernels are a potential choking hazard. I had to pull everything out from against the walls to retrieve the kernals. I returned this piece of junk the next day only to find that the store I bought it from had just placed this on sale. Big Shocker - I'm sure they are trying to unload them for the holidays before anyone realizes how horrible they are.

79.) do not buy
Reviewed by: Catherine M. Davis
Rating:
i bought this machine and it never worked. When i tried it it made the popcorn black and inside all you could see was smoke. It was so much it made my smoke detector go off. if you want a popcorn machine you can pass on this one.

80.) DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY
Reviewed by: Mac lover in nj west caldwell, nj United States
Rating:
OK we LOVE popcorn. We bought it as a Christmas gift for my husband and have used it for about 3 weeks. Well last night it stopped working. Totally dead all over. It made great popcorn and we enjoyed it while it worked but only lasting 3 weeks doesn't cut it. I'd never buy this brand again.

81.) Don't even consider it!
Reviewed by: Stephen McMahon Davis, CA USA
Rating:
This product is poorly designed to the point of being dangerous. It spits hot kernels everywhere and generally can't be operated without making an awful mess.

Once again, I wish I'd checked reviews before buying. But, I couldn't imaging that anyone could foul up a popcorn popper sooo badly.

82.) Poorly Crafted Popcorn Maker
Reviewed by: Generic Eric Los Angeles, Ca
Rating:
I purchased this Nostalgia Popcorn Maker to replaced a very good quality Sunbeam Hotair Popper that was accidentally thrown out. This Nostalgia machine worked fine for the first six months (low use) until one day the unit would not respond when switched on. Upon closer examination the popcorn maker was drawing electrical current when switched on but the motor acted as if it was binding and giving off an ozone smell. I contacted Nostalgia explaining the condition of the popcorn maker and they would only replace the popcorn maker under their 90 day warranty with sales receipt. I must have used this machine eight times in a span of less than a year.

Giving this popcorn maker one star is generous. I would not recommend this machine to a friend.

83.) Waste of money do not buy
Reviewed by: Vi Nguyen
Rating:
Don't buy this product unless you want it just to use it as a stand because there will be no popcorn popping out of this crappy machine.

84.) waste of money
Reviewed by: C. Smith
Rating:
I have used my Movietime Popcorn Popper and well, I wish I could send it back. First the instruction manul claims that it pops more kernels that other popcorn makers if this is true I'm going back to microwave popcorn. I found nearly half the kernels went unpopped.

Q:would i Reccomend this produt to someone?

A: NO!

Features of Nostalgia OFP501 Movietime Popcorn Popper

A replica of the familiar, old-fashioned street-corner popcorn stand can now stand on your table or counter. Pops corn using hot air instead of oil for a more healthful snack. Measuring cap on top of popper ensures the proper amount of kernels (3 1/2 oz.) is used each time. 7 1/4 in.W x 9 1/2 in.D x 16 3/4 in.H. Machine Type: Hot Air, Kernels Per Batch (oz.): 3 1/2, Dimensions L x W x H (in.): 7 1/4 x 9 1/2 x 16 3/4

A plastic replica of the familiar, old-fashioned, street-corner popcorn stand, this delightful tabletop-size electric popper not only pops corn but also props up the spirits of everyone in sight--or within aroma range. Because it employs hot air instead of oil, the popper produces a healthful, low-fat snack. With a capacity of 3-1/2 ounces of kernels, the popper pops enough corn in its chamber to please a family, several dorm roommates, or an office crowd--and sends it cascading through a chute into a waiting bowl. A measuring cap ensures the proper amount of kernels is poured into the top before the unit is turned on. After one batch is made, the popper must cool for 15 minutes before another is begun. The popper measures 16-3/4 inches high, 7-1/4 inches wide, and 9-1/2 inches deep and carries a 90-day warranty against defects. --Fred Brack

1.) Plastic replica of old-fashioned street-corner popcorn stand;
2.) Uses hot-air instead of oil, creating healthful snack;
3.) Pops 3-1/2 ounces of popcorn kernels at a time;
4.) Measuring cap on top ensures proper amount of kernels;
5.) Tabletop size: 16-3/4 inches high, 7-1/4 inches wide, 9-1/2 inches deep;

Package Height x Length x Width: 18.4 in. x 18.4 in. x 10.5 in.
Package Weight: 1.45 lbs.

Accessories for Nostalgia OFP501 Movietime Popcorn Popper